The Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Ali Pate, has urged Nigerians to remain vigilant, avoid panic and rely on verified information following the confirmation of an Ebola case in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
Pate made the appeal on Wednesday in Abuja after meeting with the President’s Chief of Staff, Femi Gbajabiamila, warning citizens against spreading misinformation and unverified rumours about the outbreak.
He said the Federal Government was working with Uganda and had initiated measures to contain the imported case and prevent further transmission.
“What is important is that we have found this one case. We are doing contact tracing, and we are putting containment measures to ensure that it doesn’t go into our population,” the minister said.
Pate urged Nigerians to take the situation seriously while remaining calm and relying on credible public health information.
“Nigerians should be reassured. We must be vigilant, but not panic, and people should respect public health information from trusted sources, and not spread misinformation and false rumours,” he said.
The minister expressed confidence in Nigeria’s capacity to respond to the situation, citing the country’s public health institutions and available expertise.
He disclosed that the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) had activated its incident management system, with response teams working round the clock and a dedicated task force coordinating containment efforts.
“They are working 24/7, and the task force is also active. So, we have things in place that give us confidence that Nigeria can weather this public health crisis,” Pate said.
The development follows Tuesday’s announcement of a laboratory-confirmed Ebola case involving a woman who recently arrived in Nigeria on an international flight from Uganda.
According to Pate, the patient had received treatment at a private hospital in the Federal Capital Territory for several days before the infection was confirmed.
Authorities have identified 44 close contacts for tracing as part of efforts to prevent further transmission of the virus.
The minister reiterated that containing the confirmed case and preventing the spread of the disease remain the government’s immediate priorities.
